A couple years ago, when my sister moved away for the first time and I was visiting her in her new Kentucky home, we attempted to cook our first solo Thanksgiving dinner. Yes, we had each other but my expertise was green bean casserole, her’s mashed potatoes and neither of us had done anything but eat turkey before that day- never pulled out the insides, never greased it up, never even basted. We had to do it, though. We had to pretend life was the same and things hadn’t changed, that we could still eat turkey and act like we lived in the bubble of our little family, a bubble that had been stretched over a thousand miles.
What we lacked in experience, we made up for in research and planning, though. Thank heaven and earth for that, because when I called my sister three days before and told her to take the turkey out of the freezer and put it in the refrigerator, she asked me “why?” with a seriousness in her voice that had me imagining us eating our turkey for breakfast the following Friday. Later, she would be just as panicked for me as she said she needed a meat thermometer and I asked “why?” How we staved off e-coli that year, I’ll never know.
Talking to her the other night, I knew that we’d never have a frozen turkey at her house, again. In addition to me, she’s hosting another eight or so people at her house with the possibility of more. She’s not worried a bit and plans to cook all day without, and I quote, “missing any of the football or beer.” (We are definitely related.) I’m so proud of her for everything she’s done and how far she’s come. She continues to grow and amaze me with the choices she makes and the approach she uses in life. As an older sister, I don’t know what makes me more proud: the fact that she can do it all or the fact that she believes she can.
Happy Thanksgiving, sister. I love you and I’ll see you soon.
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